President Trump: “The United States and India are committed to working together to stop terrorists and fight their ideology.”
Hundreds of thousands of Indians came out to welcome U.S. President Donald Trump and First lady Melania Trump in the northwestern city of Ahmadabad as he began a two-day tour of the country. This is his first official visit to the Asian country.
Crowds cheered Trump as rode in the armored presidential limousine, “The Beast,” along the 22-km route from the airport to the Motera stadium, venue for the “Namaste Trump” rally.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined Trump at the Motera stadium, where they both addressed a gathering of over 100,000. Tens of thousands of attendees donned white “Namaste Trump” hats bearing the U.S and Indian flags. People view the event as a sequel to the September 2019 “Howdy Modi!” rally. About 50,000 Indian-Americans showed up for that event in Houston, Texas.
“The US will always be faithful and loyal friend of India. Thank you for the spectacular welcome,” President Trump said.
The Times of India newspaper reported the opening events of the two-day presidential visit:
US President Donald Trump landed here on Monday for his first visit to India to a grand welcome by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and thousands of people who lined the streets and packed into the Motera stadium to say “Namaste Trump”.
There were tableaux, folk dancers and musicians rolling out to the cultural tapestry that is India, at the airport, on the way and at the spanking new cricket stadium where about 100,000 people waited patiently since early in the morning to hear the two leaders speak.
Trump stepped out wearing a black suit and a buttercup yellow tie while the first lady was in a white jumpsuit by French-American costume designer Herve Pierre. In a hat tip to Indian textiles, the jumpsuit was paired with a green silk with gold thread embroidery discovered by the designer in an early 20th century Indian textile documents given to him by his friends.
The 22-km ‘India roadshow’ began as the cavalcade, with the the US president’s gleaming black car that has earned the moniker ‘The Beast’, moved out of the airport towards the Ashram [a Hindu monastery-turned museum associated with Mahatma Gandhi] and then to stadium. About 50 stages were set up on the way, showcasing dance groups and singers from different parts of the country.
Over 10,000 police personnel, besides officials of the United States Secret Service, and personnel of the National Security Guards (NSG) and the Special Protection Group (SPG) were deployed for the high profile visit.
(…) Trump and Modi resumed their roadshow till Motera stadium, the stage for the “Namaste Trump” event that saw a cultural extravaganza and addresses by the two leaders waving at the crowd during the ‘Howdy Modi’ event in Houston last year. Also put up along the road were replicas of historic places in Gujarat.
Watch: President Trump’s full speech
Following the rally, Trump and the First Lady headed to the northern Indian city of Agra, home to the famous monument Taj Mahal. A similar welcome was accorded by the city as well, with thousands showing up to greet the visiting U.S. leader.
US, India United in Fight Against “Radical Islamic Terrorism”
Trump has backed India in its fight against Islamic terrorism. He offered to provide “India with some of the best and most feared military equipment on the planet” in its fight against “radical Islamic terrorism,” to use his own words.
“Every nation has the right to secure and controlled borders,” the U.S. President said in his speech. “The United States and India are committed to working together to stop terrorists and fight their ideology.”
Indian newspaper The Economic Times reported President Trump’s comments:
India and the US are committed to defend their people from radical Islamic terrorism, resolved to significantly expand defence ties and are working on a “fantastic” trade deal, said US President Donald Trump on Monday while asserting that his country “loves” and is “loyal” to India. (…)
“India and the US are committed to fight terrorists and their ideology; that is why my government is working with Pakistan to crack down on terror groups,” Trump said (….).
“The US will always be faithful and loyal friend of India. Thank you for the spectacular welcome,” he added.
He also announced that the two countries will firm up defence deals worth $3 billion on Tuesday and that the US will become India’s premier defence partner.“India and US have natural and enduring friendship,” Trump said to a cheering crowd.
The Mainstream Media Reacts
The public support for Trump was too overwhelming for even the critical media outlets to ignore. “India Greets U.S. Leader With Epic Party,” NPR reported. Even CNN begrudgingly admitted: “the crowd was massive.”
“Across the stands of the world’s biggest cricket stadium, a sea made up of the faces of Donald Trump and Narendra Modi stared out,” UK’s left-wing newspaper The Guardian noted. “The 125,000-strong crowd who had gathered to welcome to US president on his first visit to India alongside the Indian prime minister.”
The German state television ARD disparagingly described the visit as the “meeting of two showmen.” It’s all about “superlative, megalomania and far-right; that’s what unites these two statesmen,” the state-run news outlet remarked.
The New York Times bashed the President for “[m]aking no mention of a growing backlash against what critics call Mr. Modi’s anti-Muslim Hindu nationalism.”
UK daily Independent also echoed the NYT, complaining: “Trump fails to condemn Modi’s ‘anti-Muslim’ citizenship law.”
In December, the Indian parliament passed a law easing citizenship rights for refugees fleeing Islamist persecution in the neighboring Muslim-majority countries. The law opens the path to naturalization for the followers of six faiths, including Hindus, Sikhs, and Christians, but excludes Muslims. The move angered many Indian Muslims, who took to the streets across the country, setting fire to vehicles, throwing stones, and hurling home-made bombs at security forces called in to restore order. NYT, BBC, and other mainstream media outlets showed great empathy towards these enraged Muslims men.
Regardless of what the mainstream media outlets may say, the U.S.-India ties are rooted in the firm bedrock of realism. Both countries are aware of the threat of growing Islamism in the Muslim world and China’s military expansionism. Unlike his Democrat predecessor, President Trump has little qualms about naming these two threats, and above all, taking firm and decisive action to stem them. The destruction of the ISIS caliphate in the Middle East and recent decapitation of Iran’s regional terror network will not be lost on Indian leadership.
Kenek says
The Trump welcome was better than that given to mohamed Trudeau and his terrorist supporting contingent! not surprised…
“angered many Indian Muslims” who then became insanely violent thus proving how toxic the cult of islam is, and that the government actions were 100%right!
Infidel says
That Trudeau visit was a joke. He spent I think a week in Agra, absorbing the Taj. He dressed up for all his meetings in an attire typically worn by Indian grooms: it would be the equivalent of say Modi wearing a tux to all his official functions during a state visit
It’s bizarre that Indian Muslims, who love to claim their patriotism to India, are angered that Paki, Bangalistani and Afghan Muslims are not given the welcome mat into India as the people they are persecuting. Actually, it’s just a handful of colleges and universities whose students took advantage of this act to start demonstrating, just like Western school and college kids are skipping classes to protest ‘climate change’
FYI says
But Justin trudeau,Mr “peoplekind” loves to celebrate “diversity” :so much so in fact that you can see pictures of him with blackface{as Aladdin} and with an Afro wig.
No one else could get away with that!
Some might say{“woke” lefties} that Justin Trudeau has something they call “white privilege”.
“We like to say peoplekind not necessarily mankind.it’s more inclusive{cheers from the crowds}
we can all learn from each other”
Justin Trudeau
{The White lefty liberal who loves to paint his face black and wear an Afro:we can all learn from Mr Diversity…}
gravenimage says
Muslims in India want to see India further Islamized, rather than have India rescue dhimmi Hindus, Sikhs, and Christians from being oppressed and murdered in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan.
Infidel says
Bang on!
Mural says
+1.Muslins have troubled every religion in the past. Will continue to do so in the future.
Clive Delmonte says
Glad Mr Trump has a firm political friend. All good men and true will be needed to contain the Islamist tide.
Chrissie01 says
“Trump fails to condemn Modi’s ‘anti-Muslim’ citizenship law.”
Trump fails nothing at all.
As usual, MM got things upside down.
Hindus are persecuted by Muslims, mainly. They are just not the stupid sheep Christians have a tendency of being.
I am repeating what I always:
Why are all the mainstream media blowing into the same horn that Muslims are the victims? It is clear to anyone that they are the offenders. But this observation is not admissible in Political Correctness.
WHAT, WHAT; WHAT is the agenda in preparing the ground for more Islamic countries?
Ray Jarman says
Chrissie01, Does the word masochism, Antenor, Mordrec or latitudinarian come to mind? They are intent on self-destruction as they would be the first to be placed on their knees and wait for the sharp blade to remove their heads.
QiPo says
One would pray for a “sharp blade”. My understanding is that one shy of sharp is preferred for it provides much more sensation to the victim while providing more gratification to the perpetrator. Capiche?
gravenimage says
What is QiPo advocating here? This sounds pretty ugly.
Infidel says
Chrissie, you’re right. Had Trump condemned India’s citizenship registry (which is an exercise similar to the census), it would have been similar to Modi condemning the US for having ICE hunt cities for illegal aliens. Both countries have a right to determine their citizenship laws, and so Trump did well not to bring that up. If in private meetings he wants to bring anything up, he could bring up the targeting of Christians by Hindu vigilante groups, but he should avoid touching the citizenship issue.
Also, if India did what the various student demonstrations and mainstream media demand, then they’d in effect be telling every Pak, Bangladesh and Afghan Muslim that they can easily get Indian citizenship. India would become another Pakistan or Afghanistan or Bangladesh were that to happen!
gravenimage says
Good posts, Infidel and Deepak.
gravenimage says
Good posts, Chrissie and Infidel.
underbed cat says
I am going to hold my breath until President Trump gets safely back to American soil. It seems his message is resonating with those who have been affected by the attempted global Islamic movement, jihad attacks to quicken a takeover to bring sharia law and many have suffered. The video shows a tremendous response by citizens of India to greet President Trump and First Lady Melania, who looks stunning.
The sudden recent loss of Phil Haney a man who dedicated his life to sound the alarms to protect people and the American Constitution from the previous administrations open door policies and the counter state, deep state influencing our national defenses to switching sides to build a counter state within the United States and a counter state sedition of cultural, political, educational influence of Islam and sharia laws. Using the enemy to advise our national defense and all sharia law that is illegal and dangerous, and it starts with deception and misinformation campaigns that was growing and being implemented we were the targets, but to allow this insurgency to work they had to silence, criminalize free speech first. President Trump is a supporter of the Constitution and uses free speech that many do not yet understand so hopefully it will become clear. The truth should never be criminalized nor forbidden or called hate speech as it is needed to clear the deception and illusion Islam and sharia law had no ill intent, but it was a declaration of war by Islam a fatwah against America that brought 9/11 to a major A,merican city and they used our democracy to walk freely around plotting.
Ray Jarman says
++++++++++++++++++++1
Mr. Haney’s murder is truly a great tragedy and I pray for his family in their time of grief.
Ade Fegan says
India has suffered terribly because of islam
Wellington says
Absolutely. Because of Islam in India many tens of millions of non-Muslims have been killed over the centuries and much destruction of Hindu and Buddhist architecture occurred. Islam spreads death and decimation wherever it goes.
Wretched religion. Anyone still making excuses for Islam is, at best, a colossal fool; at worst, completely malevolent.
Rick says
600 million over 600 odd years brother…lots more than tens of millions…it was a holocaust like no other. This is why the hatred between India and Muslims…Half India was stolen to become Pakistan also. It has to stop. 🙁
Wellington says
My understanding of Islam’s horrible track record respecting human life is that it is responsible over some 1400 years for some 280-300 million deaths. I have seen the figure of around 80 million for India alone. I would be interested in your source for the 600 million figure you proffered.
gravenimage says
Agreed, Wellington–those are the figures I have heard, too–horrific enough.
And Islam has been around for 1400 years now.
Infidel says
Wellington
For India’s 80 million number, that was the number Will Durant provided about the pre-Mughal Muslim sultanates: for the Mughals, KS Lal provided another 70 million. So conservative estimates would put India’s total alone at around 150 million
Hindu American says
I had in an earlier post quoted 80 Million Hindus based on Will and Ariel Durant’s in depth research.
Here’s a link to Sita Ram Goel’s epic research titled: Heroic Hindu Resistance to Muslim Invaders (636 AD to 1206 AD). Hindus resisted this invasion through several centuries. Click and save this document while you can.
https://www.hindustanbooks.com/pdfs/6493883-Heroic-Hindu-Resistance-to-Muslim-Invaders.pdf
Wellington says
Thanks for replies by gravenimage, Infidel and Deepak rao. Facts are important (optional for leftists) and so I do want to “nail down” the overall number of deaths due to Islam and the number of deaths due to Islam for India alone. Difficult to react with any different horror to (regarding India) 80 million deaths or 150 million deaths, thus again bitterly proving the truth ascribed to Stalin that one or a few deaths is a tragedy but a million deaths is a statistic. Finally, what a legacy Islam has. What a legacy.
Infidel says
Wellington
I thought that that was a Hitler, rather than a Stalin quote – that a single death is a tragedy, but a million are a statistic
Infidel says
Hindu American
The Durants and Goel covered completely exclusive periods of Indian history. The former covered the period from the invasions of Mahmoud of Ghazni down to Ibrahim Lodi, while the latter covered it from Babur to the Ahmad Shah Abdali. Since I’ve not seen other statistics from others, I took the liberty of just adding those numbers
gravenimage says
Infidel, that appalling quote is usually attributed to Stalin.
Rick says
More so than any other country. 🙁
gravenimage says
So true, Ade–India has perhaps suffered more from Islam than anywhere else–and this is saying a great deal.
Mark Berlinger says
Islam attacked the Asian subcontinent with the objective of occupying and exterminating the Hindu. According to the historian William Durant, and others, an estimated 80 million Hindus were killed, thousands of Hindu temples were smashed and mosques were built over their ruins. The Muslims of India tried over a period of 700 years of occupation to wipe out the Hindu. But there was resistance.
Britain saved India from Muslim rule. The clever rulers of South India formed an alliance with Britain for exclusive trade agreements which developed into British rule and the expulsion of Muslim rule and Sharia law.
During the 1971 war between India and Pakistan, in East Pakistan an estimated 2.4 million Hindus were slaughtered in one year, and hundreds of thousands of Hindu women were raped.
Infidel says
Durant’s number was about Hindus, Buddhists and Jains killed in the pre-Mughal period of 1000-1526. KS Lal had another 70 million Hindus and Sikhs killed during the Mughal era. So India’s total would be around 150 million. The VHP claims that those numbers are 200 million – probably adding in the number of Hindus who were conscripted into Muslim armies and died fighting for those foreigners
Dan says
As a member of the Socialist New Soviet Union/Chinese Satellite Soros Democracy, formerly known as Canada-eh, compare the greeting President Trump gets to the boot licker. Turdolt.
Actually, I don’t think even Obama brown nosed as much as Turdolt.
Infidel says
Actually, Trudeau’s behavior in India was down and out moronic. He decided to pander to Islam in a country whose ruling party and government have a reputation of being anti-Islamic. Otherwise, if he had 7 vacation days courtesy Canadian taxpayers, where was the need to spend all of them in Agra, rather than visiting other sites throughout India? Plus his inclusion of a Khalistan activist in his entourage pissed India off, and totally defeated the purpose of his visit. He came to India w/ the goal of reducing tariffs on Canadian soyabeans: after he returned, India hiked those tariffs instead, they were so miffed at him.
Trump otoh knows exactly how to handle Indian sensibilities, and let Modi script the visit. That puts him in a better bargaining position tomorrow when they actually discuss business
Giacomo Latta says
Trudeau is nothing more than a failed drama teacher. Unlike his father, he never wrote a political text in his life, which was a good move given what he has for a brain. His concept of India was probably out of a 6-year-old-child’s reader: a mixture of flying carpets and maharajahs.
Infidel says
He and his family dressed up in Indian wedding garb not once, but for the entire tour. But in any place in India, most Indian men wear normal shirts/t-shirts and pants, and only wear what he wore at very formal occasions, like weddings. No wonder it looked to Indians like he was mocking them
Infidel says
This was a great rally, much like the ‘Howdy, Modi’ rally in Houston, and the president hit all the right notes. Only thing in the speech – I wish he didn’t mention how he’s friends w/ Pakistan as well, given that Pakistan had been playing both sides of the terrorism issue, which is why their aid got canceled. The other thing I wish is that he hadn’t gone to Agra: the Taj is a vanity monument which, after its construction, the hands of its architects were chopped off so that they couldn’t build another like it
I think it’s wise that they’ve decided not to push for a deal tomorrow, while India is the one desperate for a deal, given the unemployment in their country. If any deal is made, it should reduce Indian tariffs on US consumer products, not just defense and energy. But I am hoping that there is a deal before the elections, which the US can add to its suite of deals like KORUS and USMCA. I also hope that India rapidly replaces China in terms of manufacturing (in addition to the US, of course) so that the coronavirus infection doesn’t get worse
Wellington says
Three very fine posts by you, Infidel, on this thread. Thanks for them.
Wellington says
Make that four.
gravenimage says
+1
Infidel says
Thank you, Wellington!
James Lincoln says
A personal message to Pres. Trump:
PLEASE drop the word “radical” and just call it what it is – islamic terrorism.
Wellington says
Indeed, James. It is the next step that has to be taken. One could argue it is still not politically opportune and this would be a reasonable, defensible take on this matter. But I would not argue such; I would argue it IS time to drop the adjective, “radical.”
For many years now (and even in my last years of teaching when I felt no longer any reason for constraint about Islam), I have asserted that the term “radical Islam” is redundant. I look forward to the day when an American President, a British Prime Minister, a German Chancellor, etc. say this. After all, it would only be speaking the truth about the worst religion of all time.
Hope this day comes soon. Better.
James Lincoln says
Much thanks for the reply, Wellington.
Infidel says
Wellington & James
Actually, given the rally he was addressing, he neededn’t have used the word ‘radical’ at all. His audience there definitely don’t: the people of Gujarat are on average about as anti-Muslim/anti-Islamic as the average Jihadwatcher. I lived in that state for 6 months in 1991, and while I’ll grant that a lot may have changed in 30 years, that particular aspect hasn’t. Those people disdain Muslims and try and boycott them at every possible turn.
Also, it’s not like a ‘non-radical’ version of Islamic terror would be any better for infidels anywhere
Rick says
Yes! Do away with deceptive political correctness and give way to more stable words of description.
Matthieu Baudin says
“… the U.S.-India ties are rooted in the firm bedrock of realism…”
Not just mutual interest and expedience but also, more fundamentally, the outstanding democratic credentials that Modern India has demonstrated since Independence, seven decades ago. The Indian example has kept the democratic spirit alive in Asia, as the U.S. has in the Americas and the U.K. has done in Europe.
gravenimage says
Hear, hear, Matthieu! Just compare India to the oppressive Muslim countries that surround her.
gravenimage says
‘Never Seen Anything Like This’: President Trump Receives Grand Welcome in India
…………………….
So glad to see this! And good to see another story here from Vijeta Uniyal.
Peter35 says
“NYT bashes President Trump for making no mention of the ‘growing backlash’ against Modi’s Indian nationalism against the moslems!”
Utterly unbelievable! We’re talking India here—not pakistan, fgs, there should be no moslems in India, they have their own country.
Only the New York Times could be so stupid, I’ll bet they love Tlaib and Omar too, so not exactly American patriots….
Infidel says
Had Trump been known to be the type of guy to issue such statements, there’s no way he’d have had a rally outside the US w/ 10 times the attendance. Obama was the one who did give Modi pep talks about religious freedom, and that too a day before he left to attend the funeral of the Saudi king, where no such pep talk was given. It’s only non-Muslims who need to be tolerant of Muslims, but nothing like that needs to be reciprocated.
There are mosques in most of the 7 Hindu holy cities. How about asking Saudi Arabia whether they’d tolerate Hindu temples in Mecca or Medina?
James Lincoln says
Infidel says,
“There are mosques in most of the 7 Hindu holy cities. How about asking Saudi Arabia whether they’d tolerate Hindu temples in Mecca or Medina?”
The Saudis fairly recently approached the Polish government about building a large mosque in Warsaw.
The Polish government responded by saying that “it would be considered” as long as a large cathedral could be built in Riyadh.
As expected, no reply from the Saudis.
Infidel says
Beautifully played by the Poles 👏👏👏👏👏👏
gravenimage says
Kudos to the Poles!
Mark Spahn (West Seneca, NY) says
“Across the stands of the world’s biggest cricket stadium, a sea made up of the faces of Donald Trump and Narendra Modi stared out,” UK’s left-wing newspaper The Guardian noted. “The 125,000-strong crowd who had gathered to welcome to US president on his first visit to India alongside the Indian prime minister.”
– – – – –
What does this mean? That many in the crowd were wearing Trump and Modi masks? I’d like to see a photograph of that. The last sentence has no main verb.
gravenimage says
Yes, Mark–this is really odd phrasing. There were also large cut-out figures of Trump and Modi on the podium, but this would not explain that phrasing either.
Infidel says
Check out 50:00 for a question about fighting Islamic ‘fundamentalism’
Giacomo Latta says
It is heartwarming to see that India’s prime minister and its population are no dummies like too many Western countries. Perhaps the West has saved India in the past with financial contributions but now India is returning the kindness by exporting basic logic and reason which we lost somewhere.
UNCLE VLADDI says
Trump had a very good time in India, and he didn’t even have to make a dressup fool of him self like Turdeau did (and that didn’t even work out for Turdeau, who was shunned and avoided by the Indian PM anyway LOL)!
infidel says
I want India to give the USA a full fledged military base in the border with Tibet but for which India will pay.. It will be the best thing India would do in recent times.
Infidel says
Actually, a couple of bases – one in Ladakh, another in Arunachal – would be ideal, and flank Tibet. Ideally, it could be populated by robot armies and drones, so that American troops wouldn’t have to be deployed in yet another country
Tom says
What a difference this reception was compared to the debacle that was the Trudeau Mr Dressup India trip where Trudeau was snubbed by the Indian PM because he had invited a convicted terrorist who had tried to assassinate an Indian Minister on Vancouver Island in BC Canada. Trudeau had been photographed numerous times with that terrorist and invited him on the tour with him.
Trump is well respected in one of the most populous countries in the world, India, while Trudeau is seen as a perpetual joke and an enemy.
God help Canada …… Please !!!
Infidel says
I hope that Max Bernier becomes the future PM of Canada